Maldives, India begin talks on Indian troop withdrawal: Report

PM Narendra Modi in a meeting with President of Maldives Mohamed Muizzu during the COP28, in UAE. File pic/PTI

The Maldives and India on Sunday initiated official talks on the withdrawal of Indian military personnel stationed in the Indian Ocean archipelagic nation, according to a media report, nearly two months after Male sought their removal. The talks began at the Maldivian Foreign Ministry headquarters in Male', SunOnline newspaper reported.

Ibrahim Khaleel, the Minister at the President's Office for Strategic Communications, told the newspaper that the meeting was that of the high-level core group which Maldives and India agreed to set up during the meeting between Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the COP28 in Dubai in December.

Khaleel said the group was discussing the withdrawal of Indian military personnel and expediting India-backed development projects in the Maldives, the report said. Soon after taking oath as the President of Maldives on November 17 last year, Muizzu formally requested India to withdraw its military personnel from his country, saying the Maldivian people have given him a "strong mandate" to make this request to New Delhi.

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